St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-10-13
THIRD REGIMENT REUNION.
A Large Gathering and a Successful Re-
union

Yesterday The attendance was much
larger than last year there being about
$50 members of the regiment present.
Nothing occurred to mar the pleasure
of the day save a delay caused by the
non appearance of Col. .Pingree and
Col. Seaver who got left at White Riv-
er Junction and did not get in until 5
o'clock. Forty or so new members
joined the society. The afternoon
hours were spent in interchange OF
greetings.
The business meeting was presided
over by President j. A. Paddock
These officers were elected: President,
Col. S. E. Pingree of Hartford vice
president, w. III. Hubbard of Lyndon ;
secretary and treasurer, Marshall Mont
gomery of st. JOhnsbury executive
committee, b. H. Austin of Lowell, G.
w. Bonett and Lyndon Arnold of St.
Johnsbury. President-elect Pingree
was conducted to the chair by Com
rade French and accepted the position
in very happy speech. 1t was voted
that the next meeting be held in ST.
Johnsbury the first Wednesday OF
Thursday in October 1888.
The Address and Banquet.
At 7.30 the comrades were escorted
to the opera house by the st. Johns
bury band. After prayer by Rev. Mr..
Metcalf, President Pingree introduced
the orator, Marshall Montgomery
making very pleasant allusion to his
courage and fidelity as soldier and
telling the story of his capture of an
officer when on the skirmish line and
bringing him into camp at the point
of. the bayOnet. Following is an alb
stract of the address:
The Vermont Soldier.
Captain Montgomery took for his
subject, "Some of the traits of the Yer
mont soldier" He modestly disclaim-
ed on the start any attempt to enum-
crate all the traits of the Vermont SOL
der, neither did he claim that Yer
mOnters were more brave or patriotic
than many others. 1t was honor
enough to say that in these qualities
they were not excelled by any and
were equalled by few. In personal
appearance the Vermonters were taller
than the average soldier, bOny and
muscular. The report that they were
tall preceded them. At Philadelphia
in '6I when the Sd regiment was on its
way to the front crowds greeted them
and one old lady was heard to remark,
81 don't see any men seven feet high
Some were stOOp- shOuldered and all
sorts of gaits were represented, defects
that were remedied in part by army
training.
Captain Montgomery then briefly re-
viewed the story of the early settle
ment of Vermont, the conflicts with
the state of New Hampshire on the
one hand and New York on the other
and the Indians erywhere and the
fruits of the struggle as shown in the
sturdy men produced. Looking back
upon those perilOus times we see that
the settlers were guided with wonder
full sagacity and out of it came peO-
pie cool, self-reliant and firm, and
these qualities were transferred to
their descendants; slow to catch new
when their minds were made up. Low
ers of freedom, haters of oppression,
those who entered the army did SC
with much the martyr spirit. With
such an ancestry and with marked in
telligence, (it was said that 200 men in
our regiment had taught schoOl), full
of enthusiasm and devotion to country,
how could a VermOnter fail to be a
good soldier
In camp there were many things to
try the Vermont soldier. He disliked
discipline, tactics and drill. The rOu-
tine and restraint of a soldiers life
CALLED and fretted him. Many will re-
member that here in camp Baxter a
life was lost by putting guard about
camp and Obliging the men to buy ev-
rything of the sutler. The men had
an idea that a military company should
be managed like a New England town
meeting and did so for while. But
they soon learned the value of disci-
pline and tried hard to learn though
never taking any pleasure or pride in
drill. They wanted to fight. An in
cident was recalled in the fall of '6l
when brigade drill was broken up by
the carelessness of the men bringing
from Gen. Brooks the remark C.
'em they can drill we'll enough if they
have a mind to-" But the soldiers
were proud of their state and of the
good name Vermont soldiers had fOI
courage and steadiness. They knew
that more was expected of them than
of ordinary soldiers and resolved that
the good name of the state should not
suffer at their hands.
1t was at Chain Bridge, Va, in '6l
that the 3D. got the name of "Smith's
Pets" A brigade was formed and
"Baldy" Smith, their pet colonel, was
made brigade commander. The I'd
Vermont joined us then. They had
been in action and we soon tired so of
hearing the stories of their prOwess
that we called them "Bull Runners
they retaliating by calling US "Smith's
Pets"
On the march the Vermonters were
apt to straggle, seeming to think it
mattered little where they were or how
they looked when no battle was immi-
nent and they marched into camp at
night about as they liked, but when a
battle was expected they kept in the
ranks. The speaker gave a very
graphic account of one of the days of
the Gettysburg battle when the Sd
marched 35 miles in about IA hours to
the music of the battle with hardly a
straggler and two or three days after
moved after Lee. All will remember
the mountain climbing and the next
afternoon when we went into battle at
Funkstown, the whole brigade on the
skirmish line except four companies of
the 3D. and with no other help except a
battery repulsed three rebel attacks in
line of battle. They marched to get
there-that was enough. Others might
criticise their drill or personal appear
anca-nO man cnnld safely sau thav